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MONTE PITTMAN
The Power Of Three

Metal Blade (2014)
Rating: 9/10

Monte Pittman is truly a musical chimera. If is name isn’t familiar, his guitar work is, and you’ll find it in surprisingly wide-ranging places. Many metal fans may know Texas-born Pittman for his work with Prong, particularly on the albums Scorpio Rising (2003) and Power Of The Damager (2007), where he shared both guitar and songwriting duties with band leader Tommy Victor.

Fans of American football have seen him onstage with Madonna at Super Bowl XLVI (2012), a fitting honour for the man who has provided guitars for the pop icon’s albums since 2001. Clearly Monte Pittman is a master of the six-string. The Power Of Three shows that he’s also a top notch songwriter and frontman.

So what does the solo music from the man who can span the gap between Prong and Madonna sound like? Heavy. How heavy? It was produced by the legendary Flemming Rasmussen, known for his work on Metallica’s Ride The Lightning (1984), Master Of Puppets (1986) and … And Justice For All (1988). The bombastic sound that made these albums the stuff of heavy metal legends is in effect on The Power Of Three, an album that brings to mind both Metallica and Alice In Chains at their heaviest.

On the other hand, Pittman doesn’t shy away from letting a bit of pop seep into the mix. Catchy choruses hook the listener, and that is often the sign of a master songwriter. Pittman and his backing band (bassist Max Whipple, and drummer Kane Ritchotte) create an album with depth and appeal, while remaining firmly rooted in the heavy metal tradition.

The Power Of Three opens with a bit of dark, classical acoustic guitar that shortly builds into an acoustic thrash riff reminiscent of the heavier moments of Nick Oliveri’s Death Acoustic release (2009). This acoustic fury establishes the main riff of ‘A Dark Horse’, which after a few seconds bursts into life in full, distorted, metal glory. If this song sounds like anything, it could be an outtake from Jerry Cantrell’s amazing Degradation Trip album (2002), with its heavy, melodic and brooding chorus and chunky riffing.

‘Everything’s Undone’ has a similar Alice In Chains groove, this time coupled with layers of King’s X-style guitars that would make Ty Tabor proud and a pop hook that sinks into the listener’s brain. Clearly, Monte Pittman has pulled from a wide range of top notch influences to craft his songs.

No matter what style Pittman is incorporating, it’s all firmly built upon the foundation of heavy metal. The thrash riffing and lightning speed guitar solo on ‘Delusions Of Grandeur’ prove that Madonna’s hired hand was raised on the classic sounds of Metallica and Exodus.

13-minute closing track ‘All Is Fair In Love And War’ opens with a beat straight from Marilyn Manson’s ‘The Beautiful People’ and soon turns into the kind of churning metal riff that could have graced any Metallica release previous to The Black Album (1991). By the time the vocals arrive yet another rhythmic change leads to a feel that will be familiar to Testament fans.

‘Away From Here’ mixes churning metal and a pop chorus in a manner that makes it a close, heavier cousin to Jerry Cantrell’s ‘She Was My Girl’. The impressive ‘Before The Mourning Son’ recalls Black Label Society, and Pittman’s guitar hero contemporary Zakk Wylde. Monte Pittman brings the best sounds of heavy music together to create a compilation of songs that definitely impress.

While the music on The Power Of Three can be compared to some of the best metal of days gone by, Pittman always brands his songs with a unique style. Some of it is in the way he mixes different styles in the same song, some of it is in his voice, neither gruff nor weak, but well suited to these songs.

Monte Pittman is an unsung hero of heavy metal whose time has come. The more I listen to The Power Of Three the more I want to listen to it. Monte Pittman has created an album overflowing with classic sounds, intensity, and thick walls of distortion. The sound is huge, and it’s hard to believe all this power comes from only three musicians. The Power Of Three is what metal is all about, and Monte Pittman is all about metal.

Jim McDonald

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